Bernard Holland reviews Tchaikovsky's last opera, Iolanta, performed in concert by Kirov Orchestra and Opera Chorus under direction of Valery Gergiev at Carnegie Hall; photo (M)

A Shadowy Fairy Tale Driven by Dark Rumblings

Federal District Judge Robert W Sweet awards more than $144 million in fees and $4.4 million in expenses to team of class-action lawyers who negotiated record-breaking $1 billion settlement from 37 Wall Street brokerage firms that lawyers accused of illegally fixing prices on stocks traded on Nasdaq; lawsuit, filed in May 1994, accused brokerage houses of artificially fixing prices on stocks they traded between May 1989 and mid-July 1996 (M)

THE MARKETS: Market Place; Lawyers Are Awarded $144 Million From Class-Action Stock Suit

Article discusses success of agriculture program at John Bowne High School in Flushing, Queens; school's program, which continues to emphasize farming techniques, has broadened its courses to include landscaping and animal and plant care; photo (M)

East 40, West 40, All Around the Farm; High School Agriculture Program Thrives in the Heart of Queens

Ciba Specialty Chemicals and Clariant, two of largest players in rapidly growing specialty chemical industry, are merging in share swap valued at about $7 billion; new company will sport Clariant name but Ciba butterfly logo (M)

Ciba Is Set For a Merger With Clariant

 Federal Express Pilots Move Closer to a Strike  Pilots at Federal Express began refusing to fly overtime and their union mailed strike authorization ballots, increasing the odds that the world's largest air freight service could be crippled during the peak season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.   

BUSINESS DIGEST

American soprano Cheryl Studer is dropped by Munich Opera after director Peter Jonas terms her voice 'not good enough' she sues, saying she was dropped because she does not get along with conductor Zubin Mehta; stained glass from seven US churches will be exhibited at American Bible Society; France's Prix Goncourt goes to Paule Constant for novel Secret for Secret; Dominique Bona gets Prix Renault for book The Port Ebene Manuscript; Robert Benigni's film Life is Beautiful is named official Italian entry for best foreign film at 1999 Academy Awards; photos; 1716 Stradivarius violin valued at $3 million is stolen from home of violinist Luigi Alberto Bianchi's mother in Rome (S)

FOOTLIGHTS

New York City Mayor Giuliani administration decides to drop plans, just announced over weekend, to speed up distribution of applications for food stamps and medical assistance to poor; decision comes one day after Jason A Turner, Commissioner of Human Resources Administration, said city would give applications on first day to anyone who set foot in welfare office; Federal officials had said that city appeared to be violating law by delaying applications to discourage needy from applying for welfare; latest move comes as US Agriculture officials begin to investigate city's welfare policies (M)

City Ends Plan To Speed Up Welfare Aid

Stocks fall for first time in nine sessions; Dow Jones industrial average drops 77.50 points, or nine-tenths of 1 percent, to 8,897.96; Standard & Poor's 500-stock index falls 10.81 points, or about 1 percent, to 1,130.20; Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks dips 1.89 points, or five-tenths of 1 percent, to 398.43; Nasdaq composite index gains 4.49 points, or two-tenths of 1 percent, to 1,861.05; graph; chart (M)

Dow Falls 77 Points, Taking a Breather After an 8-Day Run-Up

Islamic schools that offer religion and Arabic classes along with standard academic curriculum are growing and flourishing across United States; many become oversubscribed so quickly that principals are scrambling for money to build more; combination of prayer, discipline and American-style teaching appeals to parents across lines of national origin and background; photos (M)

Muslim Schools in U.S. a Voice for Identity

Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Green Bay Packers, 27-20; photo (M)

Stewart Finally Gets in Gear As Steelers Hold Off Packers

Joseph Papp Public Theater postpones opening of its troubled big-budget revival of On the Town, cancels two preview performances and brings in seasoned Broadway choreographer, Joey McKneely, to work on several dance numbers; director, George C Wolfe, denies problems (S)

'On the Town,'Retooling Some Dances, Delays Opening

Rep Robert L Livingston locks up votes to become next House Speaker, as Rep Christopher Cox drops his candidacy; Republican jockeying for power shifts intensifies over majority leader's post; Rep Jennifer B Dunn announces candidacy for post, held by Rep Dick Armey, who also faces challenge from Rep Steve Largent; Armey's supporters insist he has race nearly wrapped up; photos (M)

With Speaker's Job Settled, Fight Shifts to Lesser Posts

Buildings consultant Robert N Bennis, sixteen weeks after he was sent to prison for his leading role in scheme to rig bids on office construction work in Manhattan, has gone back to work, supervising construction on Conde Nast tower in Times Square; reaction to his working on Conde Nast project noted (M)

Conde Nast Rehires Consultant Who Was Convicted of Bribery

 A Reversal on Welfare  Despite a Federal inquiry, the Giuliani administration decided to drop plans announced over the weekend to speed up Medicaid and food stamp applications. Page B1.

INSIDE

US Southeastern region, which has been experiencing economic boom since early 1990's, is starting to feel affects of Asian economic crisis; many companies in region, especially in Charlotte, NC, are vulnerable because they make products that are also made, less expensively, in Asia; currency devaluations have increased their cost advantage; Asians are shipping more merchandise, cutting into Charlotte's markets; jobs and hours are being trimmed back, and so is bottom line at many companies; John D Hendrick, president of Okuma America, comments; graphs; photos (M)

All That Glitters Isn't Gold; Charlotte Area Feels Ill Effects From the Asian Crisis

Major American museums are sharply increasing prices for admission to blockbuster exhibits; Boston Museum of Fine Arts is charging $17.50 for weekend admission to Monet show, Chicago Art Institute asks $14 for Mary Cassatt show and Los Angeles County Museum of Art will charge $20 for weekend viewings of Van Gogh's Van Goghs in January; New York record so far is Guggenheim's $15 for Robert Rauschenberg show last year; list; photos; Andrea L Rich of Los Angeles museum points to high costs of borrowing paintings from Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam; she and other administrators say prices are unavoidable if museums are to keep operating; general admission prices are also up (M)

Blockbuster Shows And Prices to Match; Museums' Costs Just Keep on Rising

Tens of thousands of Bangladeshi villagers are slowly dying from biggest mass poisoning ever, victims of naturally occuring arsenic in ground water; crisis is unintended result of 25-year-old safe-water program, in which Unicef and other aid groups weaned villagers from disease-carrying pond water and helped them build vast system of tube wells; map; photos (M)

DEATH BY ARSENIC: A special report.; New Bangladesh Disaster: Wells That Pump Poison

Officials of National Institutes of Health are seeking legal advice as to whether Congressional ban on fetal research applies to primordial human cells that scientists report they have isolated and grown in laboratory; at issue is whther university biologists who rely on Federal funds will have access to research field rich with medical promise and ethical minefields; Dr Leonard Guarente of MIT calls for discussion about where discoveries should go; he also sits on board of Geron, which has exclusive rights to use of cells; groups led by Drs James A Thomson and John D Gearhart reported breakthrough in growing human embryonic stem cells, which later give rise to every tissue in body; Dr Norton D Zinder of Rockefeller University says Congress is cutting off its nose to spite its face with fetal research ban, because best way to monitor work would be to fund it (M)

Primordial Cells Fuel Debate On Ethics

Justice Department prosecutors probing whether Pres Clinton evaded campaign finance laws with barrage of television ads to promote his 1996 re-election, question him at White House; questioning is part of 90-day review ordered by Atty Gen Janet Reno to determine whether she should request independent counsel to probe matter; David E Kendall, Clinton's lawyer, says Clinton voluntarily agreed to questioning and cooperates fully (M)

Justice Dept. Questions President In '96 Campaign Finance Inquiry

Interview with playwright Margaret Edson at Atlanta elementary school where she teaches kindergarten; Edson, 37, wrote her first play, Wit, seven years ago while working in Washington bicycle shop; she says few teaching colleagues know of her new acclaim in New York theater circles and she does not feel need to bring it up; Edson has written second play, Satisfied, that has not been produced (M)

AT LUNCH WITH -- Margaret Edson; Colors, Numbers, Letters and John Donne

New York Mets co-owners Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday, saying that extramarital affairs are not necessarily reason to fire general manager, nevertheless leave open possibility that Steve Phillips will not return from his leave of absence (M)

The Mets Leave Options Open on General Manager

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column discusses New York Mets reaction to disclosure that general manager Steve Phillips has been accused of sexual harassment and that he has admitted to having several extramarital affairs; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; For Now, Mets Stand By Their Man

Article contends that successful politicians make their own luck, and on that score, NYS Gov George E Pataki has been at top of his game in showing knack for taking advantage of what fate and Wall Street have handed him; factors beyond his control have contributed to broad popularity that carried him to second term, including economic boom, drop in crime rate and decline in welfare rolls; photo (M)

Political Memo; Pataki's Luck On the Road To Triumph

Supreme Court, sidestepping for now debate over whether taxpayer-financed vouchers may be used to send children to parochial schools, lets stand state court ruling upholding constitutionality of Milwaukee voucher program; advocates of school choice and vouchers hail move, which sets no precedent; program provides vouchers of up to $5,000 to up to 15,000 of district's poorest students; Court agrees to decide whether police are liable for violating residents' constitutional rights when they take reporters into people's homes or private property while seeking to make arrest; will decide in separate case whether same liability confronts Federal agents and prosecutor; lets stand ruling that securities industry workers may sue employers for discrimination using Federal civil rights law rather than be forced to use arbitration; lets stand ruling giving royalty rights to Kingsmen, band that recorded 1963 hit song Louie, Louie (M)

School Vouchers Survive as Justices Sidestep a Debate

Federal analysts report Americans's use of water, in little-noticed environmental turnabout, dropped by about 9 percent, 1980-95, even as United States population rose 16 percent; experts credit drop, after decades of steady rise, to gradual shift in focus away from finding ways to capture more water toward devising ways of using it more efficiently; graph (M)

Expectation Aside, Water Use in U.S. Is Showing Decline

Karen Villanueva is a Mexican rhythmic gymnast.

Karen Villanueva, Mexican rhythmic gymnast

Karen_Villanueva

Irene Mary Wetton, better known by her stage name Mary Millar, was an English actress and singer best remembered for her role as the second actress to play Rose in the successful BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances from 1991 to 1995 and for originating the role of Madame Giry in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera.

November 10, 1998

Headlines from November 10, 1998

A Shadowy Fairy Tale Driven by Dark Rumblings

THE MARKETS: Market Place; Lawyers Are Awarded $144 Million From Class-Action Stock Suit

East 40, West 40, All Around the Farm; High School Agriculture Program Thrives in the Heart of Queens

Ciba Is Set For a Merger With Clariant

BUSINESS DIGEST

Billboard 200

Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life

The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill

Come On Over

'N Sync

Rush Hour

Notable Births

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for November 10, 1998